There have been an awful lot of characters going by the name Manhunter, and we're using some of them. The most recent version of the character, however, is by far our favorite. Kate Spencer was introduced in her own series, and it was absolutely, intensely stellar. She was SUCH a great character, loaded with intrigue and personal flaws, and rather than letting those flaws be ancillary to the rest of the story, they DRIVE the story. She's motivated by her own feelings of powerlessness, and her overcompensation for those feelings is just as responsible for the end of her marriage and the loss of her custody of her son as it is for her career as a vigilante.

The book was so good that, even when DC tried to cancel it, fan outcry led to several new story arcs. Eventually it succumbed to DC's ongoing effort not to publish anything entertaining, but it's a fantastic series nonetheless.

One of the best parts of Kate Spencer's Manhunter is the thorough job that was done incorporating her into the tapestry of DC's larger history. She would later discover that her grandparents are classic Golden Age heroes Phantom Lady and Iron Monro, and would become an ally to the Birds of Prey, and even work as Wonder Woman's lawyer.

We've made a few minor changes to her story, but they're almost entirely cosmetic. In the comic, her costume is from the space-faring Darkstars, a group we're using elsewhere. We've made some changes to the original Manhunter characters, tying them loosely into the Order of St Dumas, so all her equipment will instead come from there.

Also, we should at least point out how fantastic her character design is. Even though it's clearly a sexy look, it's intensely empowering. Kate might have a whole barrel of personality flaws, but she owns the crap out her herself and her power. This is the sort of character comics need more of.